


we pick ourselves undone

by LilacFleur



Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I didn't know how to add lube into greek gods fucking in a river so whatever, M/M, Mild Smut, Nymphs & Dryads, River Spirit, Self-Esteem Issues, Spideypool Big Bang 2018, Zeus is a DICK, nymph!au, some boys are goddesses some girls are gods, wade does stab himself once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 23:16:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15375567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacFleur/pseuds/LilacFleur
Summary: Wade is a forest nymph who fell in love with the river spirit that carved his way through Wade's valley a century ago. A curse brought on by Zeus left Wade scarred and banished a millennia ago, and believing he was unworthy of happiness because of the crime he felt responsible for. The nymph has issues that have burdened him beyond his flesh, and Peter will give anything to save Wade from himself.or;It started with a single water lily like all sad love stories do.





	we pick ourselves undone

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT:
> 
> A wood nymph is in love with a river spirit, letting the branches of his plants tickle the surface of the water on purpose, letting water lilies grow so he has a reason to go to the river and look for them, casually having a chat and a flirt. What he doesn’t know: the river spirit deeply enjoys nourishing the plants and flowers. And the flirt.
> 
> NOTES:
> 
> There are some gods I didn't label since I didn't wan to take away from the flow of the story too much (like only four aren't labeled). And Zeus is a dick who you can assign your most hated marvel superhero/villain to. I had an idea in mind, but I'll let you all put a face to the antagonist with whomever you want.  
> This got way out of hand it was only supposed to be 5k oh well.  
> Enjoy!  
> PS:  
> Ellen Brandt is in here too because she deserves better, and Valkyrie needed a girlfriend. BOOM.

ACT I

 

A gentle breeze blew threw the trees to cool the forest dwellers within their branches from the radiating sun. Leaves rustled as the wind swept through them, and startled a lone little crake. Oak trees groaned as they danced in the wind as if they were festival goers in a town square. The forest radiated peace as tired mammals awoke to wander into the bright morning rays shining through the branches. A small hedgehog blinked quickly as it emerged from its grass nest. 

A squeal escaped the creature as one of the trees twisted suddenly before it quickly darted away. The bark of the oak slowly retracted, and a foot stepped from inside to plant itself on the soft grass of the earth. A body pulled itself from the cocoon of the tree, and dug its toes into the dew soaked dirt. The sensation awoke the sleepy body as the man slowly blinked through his blurry vision. 

Shades of green greeted him as he glanced around to take in the forest around him. The cool air of spring was fading into the heat of summer as the sun kept his sleep warmed body from chilling. Slowly he blinked away the sleep from his eyes to see the details of the flora around him. Flowers had begun to spring up from the dirt and mud in seas of colours while moss clung to the harsh rocks to cast the forest in hues of life. 

He had slept, and only ventured from the warmth of his oak tree occasionally during the cold months. He had maintained the forest, but it slept soundly during the winter so he was quick to follow suit. The spring had been too cool to awake him sooner, but now that it bled into summer he’d sensed Persephone’s work with awaking the vegetation had been fruitful. 

That also meant, however, it had been months since he’d seen a glimpse of  _ him.  _ He could still see the man dripping with droplets of water as he emerged from the clear river to glance at the plants that had sprung up along his banks. It made the man’s stomach flip as he realised he could see him again after months of the slow moving river being frozen. 

As indiscreet as ever, the man quickly made his way over to the river bank. While he should be doing rounds of the forest to assure the safety of its occupants, his eagerness got the better of him. He was sure Persephone wouldn’t have allowed his forest to come to any harm, nor would Artemis. 

A few rabbits scurried off in the rush of the man’s approaching feet as he neared the edge of the forest. He could see the glistening waters of the moving river before him, and abruptly stopped at the edge of the thick tree line. The adrenaline made his chest heave, but another emotion stilled his previously frantic steps. 

No movement indicated the water spirit was nearby, but the nymph wasn’t so eager as to give himself away. Carefully he surveyed the area, and noticed a few fish swimming against the gentle current. No other movement presented itself so carefully he stepped from the shelter of his domain. 

He was in charge of coaxing the water plants to grow, so there really was no excuse for his nervousness to approach. No, the nerves came not from the malevolence of the water spirit, but something else. The spirit was gentle just like the river, so instead the feeling came from the sheer beauty of him. 

It had been a while since they’d seen one another, and he was not sure if the water spirit had been awake long or not. A small part of him hoped he had been awaiting his arrival, but it was unlikely. Most nymphs were shy, yet knew of their beauty and influence. The suddenly hesitant nymph was not one of them. The reason for his unease and fear of seeing the man stemmed from his own appearance. He was by no means shy - a fact Artemis had teasingly complained about - and he found himself by no means beautiful. A curse from Zeus found the nymph with skin like an oak, grooved and gnarly. He’d had the curse long before the river slowly dug its way through the valley of his forest, but he was nowhere close to accepting the punishment that adorned his skin. 

He pulled the bundled white cloth that covered his body to pool the sleeves from his shoulders, and down his arms. Pulling the hood over his head for good measures, he finally reached the edge of the moss covered rocks. Carefully, he stepped across the water slick pebbles of the river bed before kneeling down. He found the roots of the dormant plant below the water's surface, deep within the earth, and coaxed them upwards. Slowly green vines emerged from the mud to twirl in the gentle sway of the current. The man grinned as they slowly began to flourish around him. It would be a short time before they blossomed, but it already brought life to the river. 

A small ripple of water disrupted the water, and the man glanced up. A smirked worked past the nerves eating his skin as big brown eyes glanced upwards to him. 

“Hey baby boy,” the nymph cooed with a barely visible wink. 

The water spirit rolled his eyes from under the surface before breaking the barrier between them. The water clung to his hair as he blinked the droplets from his lashes. The freckles along his nose and cheeks gave youth to his adult face. 

“Finally decided to wake up, Wade?” the water spirit joked as he pushed the hair from his eyes. 

It was site that formed ungodly thoughts, and it gave Wade slight pause that Zeus might just smite him again. “Hey now, it was a cold ass winter. Almost freezed my balls of checking on the forest in the middle of it,” he joked as he moved to sit down on the shore. His toes dipped into the cool water as the lilies continued to weave across surface. A small huff of laughter escaped the spirit’s lips, and it made warmth bloom in Wade’s chest. “When did you wake up, Peter?” 

The man pursed his lips in thought before shrugging. “Not long ago, a month or so. The river comes back quicker than the forest does,” he explained. He had said the same thing every year for the past century he’d resided in the valley. 

A flutter made Wade’s heart thud against his ribs as Peter then began to talk about how he’d awoken to a few of the river fish nudging him from his slumber. As he explained the silly event, Wade watched his eyes light up and animate as he spoke. He had fallen deeply in love with the river spirit over the past hundred years, and it had been a sort of bliss he hadn’t felt in a millenia. There were many reasons: the way he spoke swiftly and with passion like the river he lived in, how he prefered to nap in the shallows with the lilies rather than his own deep waters, how if a human tried to row up the river towards Wade’s forest he would send a current to carry them away, or the way his eyes shone so brightly in the sunlight they practically shimmered. Wade was deep in waters far above his head. 

“Oh, you also just woke up so I’m guessing no one has told you yet. Zeus is having a banquet on Mount Olympus, and he is inviting everyone who wants to come. I think it is to celebrate the beginning of summer and Persephone's hard work after the harsh winter, but he hasn’t confirmed why,” Peter elaborated as he moved to sit among the lilies. Stray droplets streamed down his chest, and momentarily distracted Wade. 

Once the words processed, the nymph went rigid. “Sorry Petey, but you won’t see me there. You should go though, it will be fun,” Wade said nonchalantly. His heart betrayed his tone as it spiked in fear at the mention of the god’s name. He rarely ever felt the very human emotion of fear, but it was present whenever Zeus was mentioned. 

Peter frowned. Had fear not nearly paralyzed Wade, he would have commented on the adorable way the man’s brows furrowed. “You never do go when we get invited. It isn’t every day we get to go to Olympus,” he insisted. 

Wade chuckled at that. “I haven’t been there in over a thousand years, and I don’t intend to go anytime soon.” Zeus would likely enjoy flaying him with lighting bolts if Wade dared to show up. He would probably even serve him up as a steak to the other gods to mock him as he regenerated within his oak in the forest. It was a ridicule he’d rather not endure, or expose Peter to. “Now, you got to tell me how you always look so stunning even when a fish is trying to eat your toes.” 

The river spirit swore as he noticed the fish trying to take a bite of him. As the spirit was occupied with shooing the fish away, Wade quickly got to his feet. This wasn’t a conversation he wished to have, and he hoped Peter would get the hint when he noticed the nymph’s absence. 

Quickly, Wade rushed to his treeline, and his heart ached as he saw the hurt disappointment on the river spirit’s face as he turned to an empty beach. 

 

ACT II

 

It had been four days since he’d spoken to Peter. Wade had been busy tending to the forest, and assuring the menacing look of the two mile tree line between him and the nearest human village deterred any adventurous humans. It may have been more of a way to avoid the ever curious river spirit, however. It was also quite obvious as Wade never left the lilies by the river to fend for themselves without his care. He was sure Peter had noticed, but Wade was still shaken by the mention of the banquet. So, instead of admitting the truth of his banishment from Olympus, Wade wallowed in self pity by throwing himself into caring for the trees around him. 

The forest was one of solitude for other lowly deities, and it was also Wade’s glorified prison. Few deities came to visit anymore since it had become such a place for Wade’s banishment. Some who had tried to give pity to him were quickly turned running at Wade’s warth. They had idly sat by while he was punished for a crime Zeus produced from thin air. Their words meant nothing considering their inaction. 

That was were Peter differed. He’d been one of the few deities to spring up - quiet literally in his case - since Wade’s punishment. He didn’t know of Wade’s wrong doings, or that this forest was a prison for the nymph. It was nice, but, everytime Peter went to Olympus, Wade feared what would happen when he returned. So far it appeared that the few gods on his side had made sure that the only other diety to reside in the forest knew nothing of what transpired a millenia ago. 

As these thoughts burdened Wade’s conscious, he barely noticed the presence of another. Once he did, however, he quickly drew a bow he made sure to carry during his rounds. The string pulled taut as he aimed the arrow at the eye of the intruder. Once Wade caught site of the figure, he rolled his eyes before dropping his murderous aim. 

“I could have shot you,” Wade teased as he pulled the bow around his shoulder. 

“Wasn’t that worried about it,” the other man admitted. He moved from the shadows of the trees to lean against the bark of another. 

Cable - or commonly known as Ares among the mortals - smirked as he crossed his arms. Wade sighed before smirking back at the god before him. Long before Wade’s banishment - and the occasionally time after - he had found himself a bed partner of the man before him. It had long since moved from anything of sexual nature, and instead he had been one of the few gods to insist on the absurdity of Zeus’s punishment. 

“If you’re here to tell me to go crash Zeus’s little sleep over, I’m afraid to tell you this ass has a date with two fingers,” Wade joked. The raunchy words didn’t phase the man whatsoever as he rose a brow at Wade. He was far too used to his antics. 

“It’s been a thousand years Wade, the other gods admittedly miss your dumbass,” Cable stated. It was not the first time he’d said these words to Wade. He’d repeated such a mantra everytime Zeus threw a party on Olympus in the past two centuries. He would come to beckon Wade to return ‘home’. As if it were that simple. 

The nymph scoffed. “If they missed me that much, why not come visit?” Wade inquired. He began to walk the perimeter again, with Cable following behind. “Because no one wants to touch the crazy fucker who Zeus would  _ gladly  _ spit roast, and  _ not  _ in the good way.” 

That made Cable groan in irritation and mild disgust. “You’re insufferable.” 

A pout formed on Wade’s lips before he chuckled. “Regardless, it’s nice you popped in for a visit. Been pretty bored doing these goddamn rounds by myself. I literally rubbed myself in poison ivy just to give myself something to do,” he admitted with a cackle. It had been regrettable, but he’d spent an hour making some ointment for the burning which occupied his time. 

He was going to start doing some dangerous stunts to fill the summer, but that wasn’t anything knew. Peter had found him with a broken femur after trying to jump from tree to tree last year, but it healed quickly as usual. He’d been lectured by the river spirit for a time before Peter realized it was futile as always. He might have also stopped because Wade had teased that Peter’s stern voice was a total turn on. Their banter would return like that once Wade’s nervousness faded as they interacted more as the summer progressed like every year. 

“The other gods  _ have  _ tried. You always chase them off,” Cable stated as he stepped in front of Wade. 

“Obviously, they didn’t care when Zeus went on his powertrip. Why would I invite them into my domain when they aided in my confinement here?” Wade’s inquired. 

Cable sighed. “They are assholes, I agree with that. They are sorry, though. Things have changed.” 

Wade scoffed before brushing past the man. It was once again a lecture he’d heard a thousand times. Persephone had said it enough times to make his ears bleed, but it was probably to reassure them both. Wade assumed the resentment for Persephone’s husband had not yet faded from Olympus, and he had no doubt it still upset the goddess. How Persephone cared most for two of Olympus’ outcasts was besides Wade. 

“I’m sure they’re  _ so sorry  _ they applauded when Zeus struck me down.” Wade looked down at the grass moving below his feet. “Not like I didn’t exactly deserve it.” He wanted nothing more than to be by the river now. Peter never laid the pity on quite as thick as his goldy companions did.  

“Will you ever stop punishing yourself?” 

The words gave halt to Wade’s steps. The bravado he had been producing rushed out of him quickly. The sounds of the forest reached his ears through his rapid heartbeat, and he tried to focus on that: the creaking of branches, a hedgehog chewing on some vegetation, and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. Next he focused on the smell of moss and damp earth. It helped nest him in his forest, and push away all the pain he’d buried deep within the dirt below him. 

Carefully, Wade ran his fingers along the oak bow pressed against his shoulder blade. He felt the grooves under his fingers as he inhaled deeply. “I’m not punishing myself. That would be the gods up on their mountain.” He pulled an arrow from his quiver to inspect it to keep his eyes off Cable’s. 

“I  _ know  _ you. The Wade I know would  _ never  _ have taken this treatment before-” 

“ _ Don’t, _ ” Wade warned harshly. The arrow almost splintered his in grip. 

Cable seized Wade’s shoulder harshly to spin him around. His face was pulled into a deep and angered frown. Wade vaguely wondered how many more centuries Cable would continue to insist upon Wade’s complete innocence. The nymph knew not all the blame was his a millenia ago, but being treated as if it was had taken a toll on him. He no longer thought any of the blame should be placed anywhere but his own head.

“Wade, there was nothing you could have done! Nothing! We all miss them, but this isn’t going to bring any of them back!” Cable shook Wade as he enunciated each word as if carving it into the nymphs skin. 

A tremor ran through Wade’s fingers as he tried to breathe deeply. “It was my  _ job  _ to protect them, you know that  _ Ares. _ ” Using the honorific made Cable flinch back as if he’d been burned. Shame burned like acid in Wade’s ribcage. It was unbearable. 

With lightning speed, before Cable could move to stop him, Wade shoved the point of his arrow into his own jugular. Red sprayed around him as he hit an artery, and it splashed against the bark of nearby trees. The scent of an injured creature sent herbivores running in fear of a predator. Wade sputtered as blood coated the forest floor as he crumpled to his knees. Cable shouted in surprise as he dropped to his knees in front of the injured nymph. Before the god could grab him, the vegetation absorbed Wade to take him to the safety of his oak tree, and away from the problems he refused to face. 

 

ACT III

 

Peter found him a few hours after the meeting with Cable lying on the river bed. He twirled his fingers in the air, and the lillies danced with the movements. It would have been a welcoming site on any other day, had he not caught scent of the nymph’s blood earlier in the afternoon. 

The nymph had been a source of wonder for the young river spirit for the past hundred years. A nymph unlike any other if his meetings with others on Olympus warranted a stereotype. He was raunchy and outgoing, and his skin was by no means the common idea of beauty among the gods. Instead of being mild, he was fierce. Peter had seen him slaughter men before as if he were a god of war rather than a spirit of the woods. Yet, at the same time, he  _ was  _ a good forest spirit. He dotted on the forest and her inhabitants like a nurturing mother. Each day he helped the plants grow taller, and the animals fatter. When the time came for a doe one day by the river, Wade had stroked her neck softly as she slipped into eternal slumber. Once she’d fallen still, Wade had wept for her. Peter had been fascinated by the many colours the man was painted with. He was like nothing the spirit had ever encountered before, or ever would again. 

Quietly, as to not frighten the man, Peter drew closer to sit near the man’s thigh. The nymph didn’t look to the river spirit, but by the slight twitch of his ear he knew the man had heard his approach. 

“They bloomed yesterday,” Peter commented as he motioned to the lilies. The few that had bloomed were vibrant pinks and yellows. Peter had been sad Wade had not been there to see their petals open. 

Wade hummed softly as he continued to motion with his hand. A few of the flowers brushed at Peter’s stomach and arms. It was an olive branch of sorts. Peter smiled softly at the silent apology for his absence. 

“I made sure the banks didn’t get dry, and kept the fish from disrupting them. A lot of dragonflies like coming by now, too.” Peter continued explaining the happenings in the past few days to fill the silence. As he spoke he saw some life shine in the quiet nymphs eyes. He didn’t like when Wade was silent. “Persephone came by yesterday for a little bit, and told me that dragonflies are also called nymphs. It reminded me of you.” 

The smile that eventually formed made Peter’s stomach flip like when he spun around in the water. It was exhilarating. 

“You saying I look like a bug?” the nymph finally spoke. The joke was disrupted by Wade’s hoarse voice from his previous silence. It still made the young deity chuckle. 

Swallowing his pride, the river spirit dropped his gaze to his lap. “I’m  _ saying  _ I missed you,” Peter admitted. He tried to ignore the small flush that warmed his cheeks.  

The colour red filled Wade’s cheeks as well, and it made Peter’s heart rate quicken. He had been begging to Aphrodite for Wade to stop skirting around whatever  _ this  _ was. He enjoyed the flirtation and the man’s presence, but Peter was still inexperienced and shy. Why the man hadn’t noticed Peter’s reciprocity of the shared emotions baffled the spirit. 

When Peter had spoken to Aphrodite - Valkyrie or Brunnhilde to the the gods - she had promised Peter things would work out soon. ‘Soon’ to a god was something Peter didn’t know the definition of. Wade was over three millennia old, and Valkyrie even  _ older.  _ She had mentioned it had  _ only  _ taken  _ two centuries  _ to woo her lover Hephaestus - who went by Ellen Brandt - after their forced marriage by Zeus. A decade seemed like an eternity to the young deity, let alone a century. 

“You’re too sweet for your own good.” Wade’s voice brought Peter from his thoughts, and he flushed at the words. 

“If anyone has a sweet tooth here it’s you,” Peter huffed with his blush prominent on his cheek bones. “It’s a surprise your teeth haven't rotten from your skull.”

The nymph shrugged at that. It was silly to deny it given that it was most likely true. Instead, the man settled back again to play with the lilies. They swam around as if they were creatures rather than flora. It reminded Peter of a water serpent in the way they twisted in the water. 

“How did you hurt yourself earlier?” Peter inquired after an extended silence. “Please tell me you weren’t being an idiot and scaling a mountain or something equally ridiculous.” 

Wade hummed again with a pinch to his brows. “It was nothing. Just got into a fight with Ares, and stabbed myself to get out of the situation. Oh, get the worried look off your face. It was just a flesh wound,” Wade said dismissively. 

Peter’s face turned down into a frown, and he felt the water grow in unrest from his emotional shift. He tried to remain neutral to calm the water around him, and keep Wade from worrying. “Even if you’ll regenerate, you shouldn’t do that. It makes me uneasy,” he muttered as his frown deepened. The water lapped at Wade’s thighs as it grew restless. “You are as reckless as Icarus was.” 

Wade glanced over to Peter with a small smirk. “Who’s been telling you those stories? Icarus died far before your birth,” he asked curiously. 

“Persephone visits frequently,” he supplied. “Were you alive when Icarus…” 

“Melted apart then drowned like an idiot?” 

“Wade!” Peter scolded as he smacked the man’s shoulder lightly. It dampened the white cloth, and it stuck to the nymph’s bicep. “What I’m trying to allude to is that you should be smart enough to realize you’re acting just as recklessly.  _ You  _ are an idiot,” Peter insulted with a small flame of anger burning in his chest. He hated how the man disregarded himself so frequently. 

The nymph moved to lean back on his elbows, and look up at the water spirit. He was clearly taken aback by Peter’s concern which only fueled the anger encased in his ribs. The man was more than just a casual flirt and tease to Peter, even if the man acted like that was all he was. He’d been the closest to Peter since he awoke as a minor deity. 

Wade had found him confused and abandoned to watch over the river by Achelous. He had taken care of him before retreating once winter descended and Peter understood his purpose. Ever since, he’d approached him carefully as if it was a miracle a river had carved its way into his forest. They had slowly fallen into a banter that included Wade’s flirtations and attempts to woo the water spirit. Peter missed Wade when he inevitable awoke before the nymph every spring. Even though he threw sarcasm towards Wade’s advances, he had become smitten quickly by the odd nymph. It pained him to no end that Wade did not see his value. Even if Peter decided to leave the forest one day to tend to the river further downstream, Wade would never be anything less than his entire world. 

“Hey, I’m sorry,” the nymph finally said after watching the emotions cross Peter’s face. He felt the waves of the river rock against his body at the river spirits distressed state. Peter still seemed caught up in his own head, so, hesitantly, Wade sat up to lightly take the man’s face in his hands. The contact surprised the younger man, and he looked to Wade with wide eyes. The water’s instantly settled, and it made the nymph’s heart flutter. “Hey, maybe I am Icarus. I’m getting way too close to a sun,” Wade joked softly. He couldn’t help himself, and he ran his thumb gingerly over Peter’s soft cheekbones. 

“You’re an idiot,” Peter retorted with an eyeroll. His stern eyes softened, and he brought his hand upwards to lightly place it over Wade’s grooved hand. “Please, just don’t let yourself get hurt, or hurt yourself. I can’t take care of the lilies by myself,” Peter joked. 

Wade smiled at that. The way his skin deformed around the movement was mesmerizing. Peter rarely got to see his face this close up as the nymph tended to hide it away from his gaze. He had beautiful blue eyes the colour of a spring sky. 

He flushed and looked down to avoid expressing too much of his admiration through his face. Instead his eyes locked on something that made his cheeks flame a much darker shade. His ears burned as he tried not to let his eyes linger as he quickly moved his focus to the sky. 

“Sorry, the waves… they um…” Peter trailed off with his blush burning like embers against Wade’s fingers. 

The man quirked a brow before looking down. He let out a howling laugh as the embarrassed river spirit avoided eye contact with anything below the treeline. “Sorry, didn’t mean to flash you,” the man teased as he removed his hands. Whatever intimate moment they were having was shattered by Wade’s intimate body appendage. 

“This is why you should wear dark robes in the water,” Peter grumbled as he motioned to his own dark toga that dipped low on his chest. 

Wade just continued to laugh as the white robes clung to him transparently. Peter could see his thick biceps, and couldn’t help a glance down to his muscular thighs. 

“Go dry your toga in the sun you perverted nudest,” Peter chided. His voice held a hint of playfulness as he moved himself back into deeper waters. 

“You’re the one who made my dick like this,” Wade retorted as he stood. Peter spared another quick glance at the thick cock that was visible through the fabric. 

Peter dipped below the surface, but not without hearing the vibrations of the nymphs booming laughter. It made another smile tug at this lips. How he had fallen for such a crude forest nymph was a question not even the gods could ever hope to answer. 

 

ACT IV

 

“Are you going to go?” 

Wade glanced down from his position on a thick branch he’d been perched on for the afternoon. The setting sun shone through the trees, and warmed his sore skin. The animals who had previously been in the vicinity had vacated, and instead skeletons of mammals held together by blue flames roamed the forest floor. A rabbit bounded between the dark figure below the nymph, and weaved around him happily. 

“Are  _ you  _ going?” Wade retorted as he leaned his head back again before closing his eyes. “What is with you all bugging me to go to these?” 

It had been four days since Ares had come to bother him, and the banquet was fast approaching. No one was sure of the date, but they awaited Zeus’s call. The date that was also fast approaching made a sickness twist in Wade’s gut. He had a feeling what the banquet was about, and he was sure to never step foot out of the forest on that day. 

Hades smirked slightly at the nymphs slight irritation, unaware of Wade’s current worries. “Of course I’m not attending. Persephone told me to come bother you,” he admitted simply. “Little firecracker that one, can’t deny a request.” 

When the god made no move to retreat, Wade sighed deeply. It was clear another argument was brewing. He yawned before swinging his legs over the side to jump down. The earth was soft under his feet like a cushion as small little flowers bloomed around his toes. “Kindly tell Steve to fuck off, Bucky.” 

Hades - Bucky - just chuckled at Wade’s words. Very few saw this side of the god, the part that cared for those close to him. Everyone just saw him as a bringer of death and destruction. In reality, he was a kind god who looked after the dead in the realms of the afterlife. Olympus had little understanding of one of their eldest brothers, and instead let him stay casted away in his realm. Everyone had thought he’d abducted the goddess Persephone, but in reality Steve had fallen hard for the god of the dead.

“I don’t blame you for not wanting to go,” Bucky admitted with a small shrug. “There is a reason I never attend, or rarely do.” A far off look lingered in the god’s eyes, but he was quick to shake off whatever memory surfaced at the admission. 

Wade nodded at Bucky’s words. The fellow outcast at least made Wade feel a little less alone in his banishment. It was different though. Bucky was still held with high regards even if he was an outcast among the gods. Wade was nothing more than a bug under Zeus’s foot. He was no longer the nymph with a chance at the status of god. 

“I’m just waiting for the day that Zeus says something to Peter. I’d rather not be there when it happened, or be the reason he retells the story,” Wade muttered. Feeling drained, he sat down to lean against the tree he’d previously occupied. The bark scratched at his skin, and pressed into his back. It was a comforting sensation, and the grass grew up to brush as Wade’s thighs. 

Bucky frowned as he too sat down on the ground. The rabbit nuzzled its skull against the god, and Hades was quick to gently stroke its spine. It was odd seeing a god so casual compared to Zeus always sitting up on his little high horse. 

“He doesn’t know Peter resides in this valley, so I’m sure he won’t ever speak of what happened. And even if he did, Wade, it is not your fault.” Hades’ voice was firm as he spoke. 

Wade groaned at the god’s words, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I don’t need to hear you all spout the same bullshit, okay? We all know what happened, and we all know I failed at my duty. Even  _ if  _ it was harsher than what everyone expected, I still deserve it.” A pain grew in Wade’s heart as his mind wandered for a moment. “Regardless of  _ that,  _ I will not be attending. It’s just going to cause a scene that I’d rather not be subjected to. You  _ have to see  _ that, that is what will happen!” His voice grew louder as he spoke, and Wade could feel the unrest in the forest around him. He was quiet for a moment as in took in a few ragged breaths to calm himself. Bucky waited patiently as the nymph tried to collect his thoughts. Finally, he spoke again, “I’m scared. I’m scared, Bucky. Peter will leave once he hears about it. I know I should tell him before someone else does, but how do I do that? I’m supposed to protect those who reside in my forest, and I couldn’t do that.” Wade’s voice cracked as he spoke. Peter was the only reason the god hadn’t gone completely insane. He’d been so far gone when Peter had arrived, he was surprised the water spirit put up with his crazed state. 

“Wade,” Bucky spoke firmly. The nymph looked up hesitantly, his expression raw and  _ scared.  _ It made the god’s heart fill with pity. “Many of us do not blame you, and I know Peter would not either. I have not seen such intertwined destinies and souls since Achilles and Patroclus. Do not argue,” - Bucky held up his hand when Wade went to protest the comparison - “Aphrodite agrees with me on this. Many do, Persephone, Aries, Hephaestus, Artemis,  _ Apollo… _ ” 

“Apollo would not,” Wade scoffed. “Even if he does, he’d likely enjoy it if I experienced the same fate of those mortals.  _ He  _ was the one who condemned them to your domain.” 

Bucky sighed with a shake of his head. “Apollo does not condemn you to death, Wade. What I am trying to say is that nothing could separate your souls. When the day comes where your spirits wish to rest, they shall reside in the glory of my domain.  _ Philtatos _ .” 

Wade stood sharply at the word. The gentleness of the forest changed, and a malevolent feeling overtook the once peaceful place. The grass that had sprung up quickly withered, and the flowers lost their petals. Wade glared at the god as his hands shook violently. “He deserves something better than  _ me.  _ To say I’m his…” Wade couldn’t even speak the word as it hurt too much to consider. He tried to put out the fire of joy that threatened to spread through his veins at the notion.  _ Philtatos.  _ “It is one thing for you all to come here to coax me into a party in Olympus. It is another to say  _ this. _ ” 

Bucky scowled at Wade’s words. “Do you not see! His river carved its way down this valley due to  _ fate.  _ How can you be so blind!” Bucky’s voice grew in anger as he too jumped to his feet. The rabbit quivered, and if it still had its ears they would have folded close against its back. “His river had been  _ searching _ ! Persephone helped him find  _ home!  _ Home is  _ you! _ ” 

Wade turned sharply, and began to storm away. Rage flooded his system so violently the trees of the forest shook. The grass under his feet died as he stepped, and flowers wilted. The deceased animals around them fled to their bones to hide under the earth. The anger building in Wade’s chest was unbearable. He wanted to lash out and strike the god. 

_ Philtatos, philtatos, philtatos,  _ it chanted like a tyrant in his skull. 

Hades was hot on his heels, demanding Wade see the truth.  _ How was this truth _ , Wade thought bitterly. Peter deserved to be a god, not a simple water spirit. He deserved his image carved in the stars, and tales spoken of him by the mortals. Nothing was more beautiful, nothing more  _ divine,  _ than Peter. How could anyone spit in his image by saying Wade and him were matched as Achilles and Patroclus? It insulted the two lovers and the river spirit. 

“Wade! Listen to reason!” Hades begged. The god was desperate now. He didn’t want to see his friend suffer another day, let alone the millennials he would if no one intervened. 

Wade vaguely noticed he’d walked towards the riverbed as damp moss soaked the bottom of his feet. It made a hysterical sob break from Wade’s chest. Peter flowed through every vein in Wade’s body, he gave Wade sustenance and life. It was unfair Wade could not do the same. It was unfair that the water spirit was condemned to reside with Wade until his river found way to pass through the forest and towards better lands. Even fate seemed to enjoy abusing the nymph. 

“What reason?” Wade sobbed as he turned to the god angrily. “This is a sick joke, isn’t it? You all wish to torment me just as Zeus does!” Wade accused as tears flowed like a river down his cheeks. 

The words caused Bucky to flinch back as if he’d been struck. His eyes widened in horror at Wade’s words. “You really think that? Wade,  _ we care about you!  _ Has Zeus damaged you so much that you cannot see this?” 

Wade stood silent as tears continued to stream down his cheeks, and the rage left his chest in a gust. He felt hollow. Zeus  _ had  _ damaged him beyond repair. The god had made sure of that. He felt just like that tree in the clearing not far from here with its insides carved out from flames. They had both been stripped of the parts of them that gave them life. It was so  _ empty.  _

“Please, just leave. I don’t want to see any of you,” Wade stated coldly. It felt like the dead of winter. The sky was dark now, and it only made Wade’s body feel weaker. Tears sprung to his eyes as he realized in his wake of fear and anger, some of the lilies had shriveled up around him. He had become a walking omen of death, more so than the god before him. 

Bucky casted his eyes down, sadness filling his body. “Wade, we will not abandon you. I  _ will  _ be back,” Hades promised. 

“Just go,” Wade pleaded. 

With that, the god disappeared. 

 

ACT V 

 

Wade stood on the river bed motionless for what felt like an eternity. Peter watched in worry from the opposing side of the river. He had felt the horrific unrest in the forest, and had found Wade bursting through the foliage with the god of death following. Wade looked animalistic in a way Peter had never seen, yet so scared it broke Peter’s heart into a million pieces. 

There was a secret Peter knew everyone held from him about Wade. Whatever the secret was, it was destroying the nymph.  _ Zeus had damaged him,  _ Peter thought as he remembered the few words spoken by the river. It began to make sense why Wade wouldn’t leave the forest, but many pieces were still missing. 

Pushing the secret from his mind, he focused on the nymph who still cried. The salty tears had dripped down into the earth, and Peter could feel them mingle into the river. It made his heart ache. 

Carefully, as to not spook the nymph, Peter made his way to the riverbed. Wade was sobbing quietly, and the sound was almost unbearable. Quietly, but loud enough for Wade to sense his presence, Peter climbed from the water. He rarely ever left the river, but he needed to be close to the nymph. Wade had never shown this side of him, and it scared Peter. How was he supposed to react? The river spirit did not want to further upset the man, but he needed his flippant, annoying, silly nymph back. 

Wade stiffened as he heard the water spirit, but didn’t run. Gingerly, as if Wade was made of glass, Peter carefully wound his arms around the nymph to rest his hands on his chest. The river spirit gently pulled Wade’s back to him, and felt the small shake of his body against his. 

“It’s okay little Dryad, I am here,” Peter hummed softly. 

Wade’s body shook as he cried, his sobs louder and more violent. Peter just held him tightly. If Wade required the strength of Hercules, Peter would find a way to summon it. He would be whatever the nymph needed to keep him grounded. He feared he was the only string holding the nymph to this realm. In truth, in that moment, he was. 

Wade cried for a long time, and Peter held him. Eventually he wound his body around to bury his face in the crook of the water spirit’s neck. Peter just tightened his hold as he felt Wade’s tears soak into his skin. It was like rain that splashed against his skin during a storm. Peter stroked the clothed head of the nymph and whispered nothings into his ear to ground him. Wade clutched the fabric of Peter’s toga tightly like a lifeline. 

After a long while Wade’s tears slowed, and he hiccuped softly as he breathed in the scent of the river spirit. Peter continued to cradle him close as he pressed his lips to Wade’s ear to continue to whisper. He spoke of the colours the lilies had bloomed into this morning. He described the hues of blues and purples that speckled the shoreline. It seemed to calm the man, as his sobs turned into deep breaths. The nymph shivered under Peter’s hold even though the night was warm, and Peter clothing had dried some time ago.

“I’m sorry,” Wade finally said. 

Confusion swept Peter’s mind as he tightened his hold on the nymph. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Wade.” 

“I do,” Wade whimpered as his fists bunched into the fabric of Peter’s toga. “If what Hades said is true, I’ve damned you.” 

It was clear Peter had missed much of the argument. Even if he had missed what the god had said, he knew that what Wade had said was untrue. “Wade, I doubt you’ve damned me to any fate I wouldn’t gladly take.” His words were true, he’d follow Wade into one of the mouths of Cerberus if Wade asked. Hell, he would take on the wrath of Kronos if need be. 

Wade’s voice choked as fresh tears stained Peter’s skin. “I truly have condemned you.” 

“Wade, please look at me. I’m worried,” Peter pleaded. He was desperate now to help the nymph’s tears stop. Something was horrifically wrong. 

Hesitantly, as if he were about to be struck, Wade pulled his face from Peter’s neck. His eyes were red from tears, and his grooved skin blotchy. He looked like a wounded animal. The nymph’s blue eyes held so much fear, but were so barren in the same breath. It made fear bloom in Peter’s chest. Who had hurt to the man so severely? The god Zeus came to the forefront of Peter’s mind in blinding fury. The water spirit was quick to shove away the rage, and instead focus on the broken nymph he held in his arms. 

“You have not condemned me to anything as horrible as you might think,” Peter said sternly. Wade looked doubtful, and ready to argue. Instead, Peter continued. “I would have left this valley decades ago if I thought I’d be in danger.  _ I am not. _ ” 

“You don’t understand,” Wade began. 

“ _ Wade _ ,” Peter spoke gently. “You have treated me with nothing but kindness since I first woke up here.  _ I trust you _ .” 

“You shouldn’t,” Wade argued as he tried to pull free of Peter. 

The water spirit was quick to hold fast, and prevent the nymph from fleeing. Wade was too manic to be left by himself. Peter feared what he would do the minute he was out of his sight. 

“Please just stay here, okay? Please, Wade,” Peter insisted. He moved one hand to rest against Wade’s cheek. The skin was rough against his palm as he stroked his thumb along the man’s cheekbone. His skin felt like an oak tree, and Peter had a flash of a memory of Wade purposely making branches tickle the surface of the water. They had created a small area were insects hid, and in turn fish could hunt. Peter had run his hands over the branch and felt its texture, and marveled at it. Wade could tease him, and yet nourish him all in the same action. The man’s skin was just as marvelous as the tree had been to the young river spirit. 

Wade’s expression was so lost as he looked at the water spirit. Peter wondered how long the nymph had felt like this, and how many times he hid this side of himself from him. From the way Hades had spoken, it had been decades at least. Peter cursed himself for never noticing before. 

After a long moment, Wade tilted his head to rest in Peter’s hand. His eyes slipped shut as he let out a small huff of air. He looked defeated, yet peaceful cradled in the river spirits hands. All of Peter ached in sorrow for the man. 

“How much are you willing to give, Peter?” Wade wondered aloud. 

The spirit looked to Wade in confusion at his words. “What do you mean?” After a small pause, Peter smiled softly. “Wade, as crazed as you are, I’d give you anything.” 

The confession made Wade gaze upwards at him. “Anything?”

“Anything,” Peter assured. 

Suddenly, Wade was moving quick in Peter’s arms. A gasp escaped the river spirit’s lips as solid scarred ones pressed against them. Wade’s breath was warm against his skin, and his tongue hot in his mouth. It caused Peter’s body to immediately begin to melt as the nymph gripped Peter harshly by the hair at the nape of his neck. Wade tasted like a fever as he explored Peter with a blinding heat. The nymph’s other hand came to rest against the water spirits throat as he coaxed the younger deity closer to him. Peter moaned as he gripped tightly at Wade’s shoulders, and felt the press of the man against his own manhood. He felt immediately drunk off the sensation. 

All too soon, Wade pulled his lips from Peter’s. They were slick with saliva from the messy kiss, and Peter couldn’t tear his eyes away from them. His heart raced in his ribcage like a herd of horses. He could feel  _ all  _ of Wade in that moment, and he was blinding like the sun. His heat seeped into every crevice of Peter’s entity to consume him whole. It was exhilarating. For once, Peter felt like Icarus. He now understood why the young man had flown so close to the sun. 

Then, abruptly, Peter found himself alone. 

 

ACT VI

 

Artemis found Wade two days later in a spot that left a haunting emptiness in her chest. She had figured he’d be hiding here, but it didn’t make it any easier when she had to step across the small clear field. Wade was hidden in the hollowed out tree at the center with his eyes closed to the world. It wasn’t hard to realize he wasn’t sleeping, but rather daydreaming. His face looked so haunted it gave Artemis pause for a moment. It was not an expression that deserved to adorn the nymph’s face. 

“Wade,” Artemis called gently. 

Wade groaned loudly, but refused to open his eyes. “Why can’t you all just leave me the fuck alone? Let me wallow in my own self fucking pity.” 

Artemis scowled at that. “Honey, as one of your closest companions, I will not.” 

After a small calming breath, Artemis took the last few steps to the dead tree. She reached out, and carefully placed her hand comfortingly on Wade’s shoulder. The nymph flinched initially, but sighed in defeat. She smiled softly as he leaned into her touch before slowly blinking his eyes open. It appeared her luck hadn’t run out yet. Though, it clearly had for Wade. Seeing him so scarred and broken had hurt the goddess beyond belief when he was first banished. Even a millenia later, it didn’t hurt any less to see what Zeus had done to the nymph. 

“Hades told me what happened. He feels bad for lashing out, but he isn’t wrong in what he said,” she insisted as she rubbed soothing circlings into Wade’s sore skin. 

The nymph snorted at that. “I realize that, and that is the fucking problem, Domino.” The goddess quirked her head in confusion, and Wade wanted to shrivel up and die. “Peter found me after Hades left. I wasn’t in the right state of mind, and just…” 

Domino nodded for Wade to continue, but the nymph couldn’t speak. He still felt excited from the kiss, but filled with fear for how quickly Peter had reacted. Even before Wade initiated such an intimate act, Peter’s string of fate had already been woven into Wade’s. It was unfair that the river spirit was so deeply entangled with him. He deserved to become a god! He deserved everything, a city named after him, a place in Olympus, anything he ever wanted. How could fate ruin his potential by forcing him to collide with Wade in such a catastrophic way? 

“Why would the fates do this? Aphrodite? Persephone? Everyone?” Wade begged for an answer that didn’t make sense to the goddess. 

“Fate, Wade. Luck, whatever you want to call it. I may not be Tyche, but I know luck when I see it. You both were put together for a reason,” Domino insisted. 

Wade grunted as he pulled himself from the safety of the tree to stand before the goddess. He felt vulnerable in a way that made his skin crawl. Showing Peter his vulnerability had not scared him, but to anyone else it made him feel weak. After shaking away the thought, he set his expression to be hard and doubtful. “Luck for who, me? Why not him?” 

The goddess gritted her teeth at the nymph’s harsh words. “Do you think he doesn’t feel lucky being around you? Aphrodite and I have spoken, he idolizes you as a god!” 

The words made Wade flinch harshly. It jarred him down to his core. Memories from past dreams and hopes that had been squashed a thousand years ago swarmed like locust to the front of Wade’s mind. “That’s a low blow, Dom,” Wade choked. 

Domino frowned before pulling Wade into a tight hug. The woodland spirit didn’t fight it, and she smiled softly at that. “You could have been one. You  _ should  _ have been one. Given you a gods name, put you in charge of the forest.” Domino felt Wade shake his head in disagreement against hers. She just held faster. “Every god makes mistakes, Wade. How many of my huntresses have I lost? How many wars had Aries been forced to bow his head in? How many springs failed under Persephone?” Wade didn’t reply, so Domino continued. “We have caused the death of many mortals and lower deities alike. We are no different than you. Zeus has caused much more damage than you could fathom. You do not deserve this punishment, and you  _ do  _ deserve what the fates give you to right the wrongs Zeus made.” 

Domino could feel a faint sad smile turn up Wade’s lips, and it made her smile as she hugged her friend tightly. “I hope you can see that I’m not lying, Wade.” 

 

ACT VII

 

Peter floated in the bed of water lilies he had been nurturing attentively for the past week. Wade had not returned to the river bed in those seven days, not once. After a century of Wade’s constant pestering and flirting, a week felt like an eternity without him. It wasn’t like when Peter was alone for a month or so before Wade woke up because now he  _ knew  _ Wade was awake. 

The nymph was avoiding him. 

The river lapped against Peter’s stomach as he dipped his head back to submerge his head. He breathed the water deep into his lungs to feel them fill with the liquid that sustained the earth around him. He wondered if drowning was peaceful to mortals as they felt the water fill their bodies. Probably not. 

Lilies brushed against Peter’s arms gently as others tangled in his feet. They had blossomed in an array of colours, many of which were foreign to common lilies. Wade had done that as a gift to the water spirit. The thought made the nymphs absence ache more. 

The next time Wade showed his face, Peter was going to blast him with a tsunami of water before kissing him breathless and sore. It was unfair what the nymph had done, and Peter wanted to understand  _ why.  _ Aphrodite had said they were fated, but then why did he run? Why was everything so hard for them? 

Groaning, Peter rolled over to place his face under the water. The nymph was exhausting, but damn if he wasn’t in love with him. He let out a small scream under the water in frustration which spooked a few fish swimming nearby. That is what love did to a man, he supposed. It made one wallow without it, forgo their duties for a week, and spook the animals he was to tend to. 

All of a sudden, there was a disruption in the water. Peter scrambled upwards so quickly his balance was thrown, and he toppled back into the water. A frog hiding in the lilies croaked before bounding away in fear.

Glancing around rapidly, Peter tried to locate the nymph. Once his eyes landed on the body of the disrupter, his face fell from it’s excitement. 

Persephone smiled kindly as he walked over to the river spirit. He hadn’t missed the expression on the young deities face, and his heart hurt for him. Artemis had said her talk with Wade had went well, but a single conversation would not fix centuries of damage. He had hoped Wade would have at least visited the poor water spirit, but it appeared he had not. 

“Hello Peter,” he greeted as he extended a hand. 

Peter took it to hoist himself to his feet. “Hey Steve,” he returned the greeting with a small smile. The goddess had been a parental figure to the young spirit, and it was always a nice surprise to see him. Though, all he wanted right now was to see that buffoon of a woodland nymph crash through the treeline to tell him about what was happening in the forest. Wade had once tripped over himself and fallen in the river in his excitement to tell Peter a nest of birds had all hatched successfully. 

Steve sighed fondly as he noticed Peter’s distracted eyes. “How are you?” 

Peter shook away the memory as he realized Steve was addressing him. He glanced up and took in Persephone’s attire. The toga the goddess wore was a blinding white with gold embroidery and trim. It was clearly attire for an event with its exquisite design. Usually when Peter saw him his toga was stained with dirt from his work in the forests. He wasn’t sure which suited him better. 

“I’m well. What are you dressed for?” Peter inquired curiously. 

“Zeus has called for us to come to Olympus. I could feel your wallowing, and assumed you hadn’t heard the call,” Steve commented with a small chuckle. 

Peter flushed at that. “No, admittedly I didn’t.” His mind wandered to Bucky’s words all those nights previous, and a small ember of anger burned in his ribs at the mention of Zeus’s name. “I’m not sure I want to attend,” Peter muttered stubbornly. 

Persephone seemed to misunderstand Peter’s reluctance. “If Wade shows up while you’re gone I’m sure he will come back soon. Once he gets over his problems he tends to bother you ten folds,” he teased with a grin.  

At the words, Peter glanced to the tree line. No movement occured, and Peter couldn’t sense Wade’s presence. In fact, he hadn’t felt him for sometime. Usually the forest at least projected Wade’s emotions, but it had felt hollow these past days. It was concerning, but Peter knew he couldn’t ignore Zeus’s call. Who knows what the god would do if a minor deity such as Peter blew off his event. 

“Okay, let’s go,” Peter agreed with a sigh of defeat. 

 

ACT VIII

 

The banquet was loud as the divine drank wine and talked amongst themselves. Dionysus constantly had a flow of wine for the gods even as he teased and flirted with Apollo - or as Peter knew him, Johnny. The god rolled his eyes at Dionysus’s - Akihiro’s - advances while blushing madly. Johnny gingerly placed a flirtatious hand on the god of wine’s chest suddenly, and Akihiro smirked at the gesture.

Peter turned his attention away from the two gods clearly looking to make their discreet escape, and instead let his eyes roam across the hall. Euphrosyne - who also went by Thor - spoke to Aphrodite across the room with his usual booming laughter. The goddess of happiness quickly let his presence seep into the crowd around him. Persephone talked on his right with Ares and Dione, and Peter didn’t pay attention to their conversation as he continued to looked to all the gods in the room. Almost all were present as were many lower deities. He wondered what the occasion was as it seemed everyone was just as lost on the meaning for their summoning. It did not seem like a celebration for spring, but Peter could not fathom what else it would mean. 

Before Peter could wander off as he tended to do, Dione suddenly was leaning into his face. Peter jumped in surprise at the titanesses who looked at him with a wide grin adorning her face. Her eyes glittered as did her toga, and she looked like the reflection of the sun off the water. 

“Ah! A little sea nymph!” she said excitedly as she cooed at the minor deity. “I have not seen such an adorable water spirit before! Are you one of my children?” Dione wondered aloud as she pulled Peter’s chin up to look at his features. 

Peter flushed under the woman’s intense atmosphere and blunt inquiries. “I believe I am a son of Achelous,” he replied as he mentioned the god of rivers. 

Dione pursed her lips before nodding quickly and pulling him into a hug as she fussed over him. “Ah yes! That man and I do tend to meet on occasions,” she teased. “Even if you are not mine directly, any water spirit is a child of mine.” 

Peter awkwardly patted her back and looked to Persephone for aid. The goddess was just chuckling at the spectacle. 

Once she pulled back she grinned happily at Peter before her eyes darted across the room. “Ah! My daughter! I must go see Aphrodite, I will see you all again soon!” she exclaimed before rushing off to the goddess who greeted her mother with a smile. 

Cable chuckled as he took a sip of his wine. “Glad to see she’s in a good mood. The sea’s must be choppy today,” he joked. Peter could sense he was not wrong. “This is only your third banquet isn’t it, Peter?” 

The river spirit nodded. “I didn’t go to the first few after I woke up. I was still trying to get used to my duties,” Peter admitted. 

That made the god chuckle. “You’ll meet quiet a few crazed gods yet. I’d avoid Namor if I were you, he will talk another deity of water’s ear off for hours.” 

Peter glanced at Poseidon who was adamantly talking to another water nymph who nodded along to whatever the god was saying. The nymph looked ready to turn into a puddle on the floor, so Peter headed Ares warning. 

Hephaestus wandered over then, and began discussing a few amour modifications with the god of war. She hid half of her face behind a head dress, and Peter couldn’t help notice the comparison with Wade hiding his own deformity. It wasn’t long before Aphrodite joined them once her mother wandered off, and the goddess was quick to pull the head dress away to press a warm kiss to the red mottled flesh on Ellen’s cheek. It made the god blush with a warm smile. 

He was quick to move his eyes away to prevent his mind from wandering to Wade again, or to their kiss nights prior. 

“Ah, Eros and Anteros! How are you?” Aphrodite called. 

Two gods approached the group at the beckon, and Peter was slightly taken aback. They appeared young like children, but held themselves in a regard that spoke of maturity. Eros was slightly taller, demanding attention as the eldest of the two. Peter had not seen them before, and was slightly taken aback by their appearance. As Eros quickly flew into a conversation with Valkyrie, Anteros glanced to Peter with a small smirk. Peter returned the smile uneasily. 

“Hi there, I am-” 

“Oh I know who you are,” Anteros interjected with a grin. “You’re little love story has been a topic of interest for my brother and I.” Peter flushed red at the comment, and he noticed Steve chuckle at the reaction. “My mother is happy to see it as well. It’s adorable mutual puppy love. Eros wishes to know when his realm of love with be explored.” 

Peter’s skin heated at the comment, and he was surely as red as wine by this point. He was shocked to hear something like  _ that _ come out of a god that appeared no older than four mortal years in age. “Uh,” Peter gawked as he tried to collect himself. 

Persephone grinned before shaking his head. “I’m going to steal him for a moment, please excuse us Anteros.” 

The young looking god nodded, and quickly joined in on the conversation with his brother and mother. Steve chuckled as he dragged Peter away towards a table filled with fruits. The goddess plucked a fig, and tossed it to the bright red river spirit. 

“Don’t mind them, they are very… blunt.” Steve laughed at Peter’s expression. 

“You don’t say,” he scoffed before taking a bite of the fruit. The sweetness spread across his tongue, and he felt a stray drop of juice drip down his chin. “I thought Aphrodite was the goddess of sexual love?” 

Steve hummed with a shrug. “Love is love, it emcompasses many things. Anteros is more a god of mutual love, though.” 

_ Mutual love,  _ Peter thought absentmindedly as his mind wandered to Wade again. He would much rather be discussing the possibility with the absent nymph than be subjected to more encounters with gods. Everything seemed to remind him of Wade, even here where he did not think the nymph had stepped foot in centuries. He needed to see Wade again. The embers of possibility Wade left in his chest that night only burned more painful the longer he was away. 

“How long before I can slip away without Zeus causing a fuss?” Peter murmured as he took another bite of the fruit. 

Steve chuckled again. “Soon. Once he’s done making his address he will become far too intoxicated to care who remains here for the duration of the party.” Steve looked around at that, trying to spot the god. “It’s cute watching you,” he suddenly said. 

Peter quirked a brow at that. “Thought you were married,” he joked. 

Another laugh escaped the goddess, and Peter realized Persephone may have drank more than he had thought. The redness of his cheeks indicated such. “No, I am. You just remind me of myself after Bucky and I married. I was always so anxious for summer to end so I could see him again,” Steve spoke softly. A fareoff happiness glimmered in his eyes at his words. “I still am.” 

The dreaminess in Steve’s expression made Peter wonder how he was not a goddess of love. He was smitten. Peter wondered if he looked like that when he spoke of the forest nymph, and he hoped he would look like that centuries down the road. It made a warmness fill the river spirit’s chest. 

Before more could be said, a bolt of lightning struck outside. Peter jumped in surprise, and the fruit rolled from his fingers to the floor. Steve rolled his eyes, and muttered something about dramatics. Suddenly, Zeus stood tall on the platform where thrones resided. Hera stood beside him, smiling politely. Their presence demanded attention, and all words faded on the other gods tongues as they turned to their king and queen of Olympus. 

Seeing the god made a small anger burn behind Peter’s ribs, but he ignored it in favour of taking a sip of some wine from the table. Steve seemed to notice the change in Peter’s demeanor. 

“Did Wade tell you?” Steve asked in shock. 

“Tell me what?” Peter asked with irritation seeping into his tone. He was slightly upset that everyone seemed to know but him, but he was far more irritated with the god parading around in front of them. “About the secret you have all been keeping? No. But, it has to do with  _ him _ doesn’t it?” 

Steve didn’t speak further, but his lips pulled into a tight line as he looked to Zeus who was greeting everyone. 

“Hello! Welcome! I do hope everyone is enjoying themselves?” Zeus’s voice boomed loudly as he spoke in the large hall. A small cheers of raised glasses answered his inquiry. 

Peter had always disliked his cockiness, but now it grew into completely distaste. He did not trust the god before them. He could feel something in the air that suggested this banquet was  _ wrong.  _ Something was terribly, terribly wrong. It filled his stomach with a sticky fear, and made him nauseous. He wanted to be near Wade  _ now.  _

“Now, you are all wondering why I called you here, I am sure?” Zeus asked with a smirk. The crowd of deities nodded in curiosity. Steve’s brows furrowed as his eyes narrowed. There was a small disruption to their right, and Peter noticed Artemis and Ares quickly making their way towards the two. “Well, today is a day of celebration and remembrance!” 

“Peter we should go,” Steve said suddenly. His expression was pale, and anger was burning like flames in his eyes. 

Fear grew in Peter’s gut as he saw the distressed goddess, but before Peter could reply, Zeus continued. “Does anyone have an idea of the occasion? Because I have been counting down an entire millenia for this glorious celebration! There will be wine for all hours of the night as we feast!” 

“Is he honestly fucking celebrating this?” Cable hissed once he broke through the crowd of gods to stand in front of Peter and Steve. Artemis stood stiffly at his side while rage morphed her face. 

“I will not be a part of this,” Steve replied through gritted teeth. “Leaving now will show our displeasure. It’s the best move.” 

The god of war shook his head. “I say we speak up. I’ll fight that lousy scumbag-” 

“ _ No,  _ it will make him feel even worse about what happened if we do that.” 

Peter looked at the gods in confusion as they argued. Their conversation didn’t make sense to the deity, but it was drawing attention. A few gods turned to look at them, and Zeus seemed to take notice of it as well. The god chuckled. 

“Ah! Those who oppose me!” 

Cable ground his teeth together as he turned to face the god. Steve scowled along with Domino. Valkyrie and Ellen looked to Zeus in irritation as well from their spot across the room. The tension made Peter extremely uneasy, and even Thor could not mellow the atmosphere. The fear was boiling painfully in Peter’s stomach, and he feared he would vomit from it. 

“We do not  _ oppose  _ you, Zeus. We just disagree,” Cable replied with a gruffness in his voice usually reserved for battle. It sounded nothing like his banters with Wade that Peter had partaken in before. 

Zeus scoffed before looking past Ares, and locking his gaze on Peter. The river spirit wanted to squirm away from the attention, but stood tall. The god was leaving a very bitter taste in Peter’s mouth. “Ah! Who is this?” When no one replied, the god frowned. “Come now, I have seen you, but never been introduced.” 

“I am Peter, from the valley Σπίτι,” he replied. His stance felt rigid as the king of gods watched him. 

Zeus’s eyes widened as the room grew dead silent. Achelous sipped from his wine glass across the room while Dione gasped before smacking the river god as she demanded answers. A beat of silence passed before a booming laughter escaped the god of thunder’s throat. It echoed off the otherwise silent hall’s walls, and Peter felt dread form in the pit of his stomach. The gods laughter continued, and everyone shifted awkwardly, or perhaps in fear. 

Finally, the laughter ended abruptly as his eyes landed on the water nymph again. “What a pity that fate did that to you. Please tell me, how is that ugly mug doing down there? Must be hard to have to live in the proximity of him.” 

There was only one person the god could be referring to, and anger swelled like a raging inferno in Peter’s chest. The heat of the anger scorched his lungs. Before he could lash out against the god, Steve placed a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked to the goddess, but Steve looked forward with a stoney expression. It took a moment for Peter to realize he was preventing him from being struck down by the god due to a rash decision. 

“We will be leaving, Zeus,” Steve replied instead. 

Zeus rolled his eyes at that. “You really are not fun, Steve. Now, Peter, do you know what we are celebrating here today?” When the deity didn’t reply, Zeus grinned wide. “You see, the valley you are currently residing in, is a valley where that grotesque nymph has been banished to. Exiled, kicked out of Olympus!” 

A coldness settled in Peter’s chest at the words, and Wade’s broken expression wouldn’t tear itself from Peter’s mind.  _ Zeus damaged him.  _

“You see, he was in charge of protecting that forest. As a Dryad, I placed him in charge of all the Hamadryad who resided there. Oh sure, he was good at his job for a millenia or two. Hell, I was even going to make him a god! Ha!” Zeus laughed again, as if it was  _ funny.  _ “He dreamed to be one, but, well, then he failed. Miserably. All the trees of the Hamadryad were torched by a village angered by a horrific winter, and not one was saved.” Zeus paused, and the way the god’s lips turned upwards as he spoke of the travesty made the sickness in Peter’s belly grow. “Due to his failure, he was outcast and  _ branded  _ to the point he would not be recognized as anything more than a beast.” 

Steve tightened his hold on Peter when the river spirit nearly lunged forward. “We’re leaving,” Steve stated. 

Zeus chuckled with a shrug. “If you wish to celebrate his outcasting, please do rejoin.”

 

ACT IX

 

Peter raced through the forest like his life depended on it. He gasped in air as he ran through the territory completely foreign to him. Leaving the river on the occasions he did were few and far between, and only ever in short timespans. At this point, he felt he would never return if that was what was needed when he found the nymph. 

Persephone had pointed Peter in the correct direction, and the water spirit had bolted. The grass felt odd beneath this toes, and he frequently found his foot tripping up on a root or a stray rock. It didn’t stop him, however. He needed to get to Wade as quickly as possible. 

It wasn’t long before the tree line thinned and broke into a valley. The moon hung above them, and casted an eerie glow across the tiny flowers that bloomed up from the grass. Peter panted as he looked around wildly, and his eyes widened. 

Little orbs of blue light floated across the field, and danced around one another. They lit up the area in a warm blue hue, and it gave Peter pause. They occasionally swept down to the ground and took shape. They manifested into woodland nymphs for a fraction of a second to dance on the ground before sweeping up into orbs again. They giggled and sang around the river spirit as if they were excited to see a new face.

Peter placed his feet delicately as he maneuvered around them. He felt like he was disturbing something, and he was perplexed by them. 

The rage that had burned in his chest dissipated as he studied the lights. They seemed to clear a path, and Peter followed them blindly. One orb touched down and beckoned him forward. She was a nymph, and her dark hair waved against her back. Her smile was crooked, but beautiful. She extended her hand, and when Peter took it he heard a few giggles and a single word among the whispering.  _ Vanessa.  _

She disappeared into an orb, and quickly manifested again further towards the center of the clearing. Peter followed her calls as he wandered past the blue orbs. Whispers emitted from them, and Peter caught fractions of conversations and laughter. It brought a feeling of melancholy to spread through him, and made his eyes water. 

Before he realized it, he was standing at the foot of a large hollow tree. The ghost of the forest nymph Vanessa spun around the tree before swooping back down. Peter saw an image behind his eyelids of a man who looked like Wade, but with smooth skin and hair the colour of gold. It was gone just as quickly as it came. 

_ Our god,  _ she whispered as she spun around happily. 

Peter’s eyes wandered to the tree before him as Vanessa spun around it again. It’s bark was blackened, yet it still stood tall and firm. A presence came from within it, so Peter peered inside. He was greeted with more emptiness, and it only made the sadness in him expand. Vanessa giggled as she spun up and up before swooping off somewhere in the field. 

“It was my tree.” 

Peter spun around, and gasped as he saw Wade. The nymph stood in his white toga, the hood pulled low to mask his face. His body was hunched in on himself, and he looked nothing like the bubbly obnoxious nymph Peter had seen only a week prior. The ache of despair hammered at Peter’s bones. 

“They came so quickly. I tried everything I could, but the flames spread so fast.” Peter waited for Wade to continue to speak, and knew the man needed to say this. He needed to let it spill out of him. “They begged me to help them, and I held them as tightly as I could. But they just… they slipped away.”

“Wade,” Peter whispered as he reached for the nymph. The man flinched, but Peter pushed forward. He took Wade’s face in his hands and tilted it up. Once he saw his face, tears spilled down his cheeks. Wade’s eyes were haunted and scared. He was so vulnerable, he looked like a wounded animal. “Wade, it wasn’t your fault,” Peter insisted. 

_ Not your fault,  _ Vanessa agreed as she spun past them. More orbs repeated the words until it turned into a mantra of whispers. 

“Peter-”

“No, Wade. It wasn’t,” Peter assured as he looked firmly into Wade’s eyes. The blue of them reminded Peter of the sky. He looked desperate. It was as if he wanted to believe, but wouldn’t allow himself to. Peter couldn’t stand it, so he brought the man to him. He wrapped his arms around him like vines, and Wade let out a small sob against his neck. He never wanted to see the man like this again. “It wasn’t, Wade.” 

_ Our god,  _ Vanessa repeated. The words made fresh tears spring to Peter’s eyes. Even without the title bestowed on him, Wade  _ had  _ become a god. How the nymph hadn’t noticed, Peter did not know. He was a god to all the deceased Hamadryad around him, praising him even if Wade refused to listen. He was  _ loved.  _

“I don’t deserve you,” Wade cried. 

Peter just held on tighter to be the strong tree Wade needed. A new beginning, a new life. “I love you.” 

The nymph collapsed into Peter, and the two fell to their knees. Not once did the water spirit let go. He would be everything Wade needed just how Wade was everything Peter needed. He pressed a gently kiss to the top of Wade’s head as the man buried himself in Peter’s chest. His devotion to the man solidified any remaining frays in their strings of fate. 

The orbs gathered around, and the whispers and laughter grew. Wade’s tears soaked Peter’s toga as he held him close. 

Through a broken whimper, Wade spoke,

“ _ Philtatos _ .” 

 

ACT X 

 

“Wade, you’re going to crush them!” 

The nymph snickered as he rolled the river spirit onto his back, trapping his body overtop of the hundreds of lilies that now decorated the river banks. The sun shone high in the sky, and glimmered in the dark brown eyes of his lover. Wade’s cockiness faded into a warm smile as he gazed down at the flushed man below him. 

“They’ll grow back. I’ll keep them coming ten folds every spring,” Wade assured as his eyes roamed across the body below him. 

“You can’t say cute shit like that while pressing your cock against my thigh!” Peter scowled as he sent water upwards to splash the nymph. It didn’t even phase the forest dweller anymore. “Insufferable!” 

Wade rolled his eyes before pressing a chaste kiss to Peter’s lips. The water spirit immediately gasped at the contact, and Wade could feel him flush against him. Quickly, Wade made work to tear away their togas. Peter muttered about Wade’s haste, but didn’t stop the man as he stripped them. Instead, he ran his hands up Wade’s chest then back down his shoulder blades to scratch at his back. The scarred skin no longer made Wade fear exposure as Peter had insisted upon its beauty for so long. 

The nymph was pressing inside Peter quickly, making the man gasp and whine underneath him in their desperation to be closer. He mouthed at Wade’s throat as he praised the nymph while screaming up to the heavens. Wade filled him, and groaned at the feeling surrounding his cock as he rocked himself against Peter. It felt just as electric as the first time they made love in the field of Wade’s nightmares. Everything felt exhilarating with Peter. 

Some time later, Peter came with a cry with Wade deep inside him, and Wade followed close behind. They collapsed beside one another with the water cooling their heated skin. Peter was quick to tuck himself into Wade’s side, and press warm kisses across his chest. How he had been blessed with such a sweet lover was beyond him. 

“Hades and Persephone will be here soon,” Peter panted. He made no move to detangle their limbs. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve seen us naked,” Wade teased. He let his eyes slip close as he basked in the afterglow of their intimacy. 

“It’s been a century,” Peter commented as he breathed deeply against Wade’s grooved skin. 

“It’s been a century,” Wade agreed with a warm smile. 

They were silent for a while as the lilies grew around them to tangle them closer together. The breeze blew through the forest, and rustled the branches of the trees that dipped into the water of the river. 

Peter had not returned to Olympus since the failed banquet. Many of the gods still rejected Wade to appease Zeus, but slowly more were opening up to the nymph. When it was realized Wade had turned into a god right under his nose, Zeus had attempted to smite him down. Of course, it had not worked, and the god just continued to claim Wade’s banishment. The new god could care less, and his flippiance to Mount Olympus made Peter happy. The gods that rejected Wade meant nothing. Instead, Wade focused his time on caring for his forest, and visiting the spirits of the Hamadryad. He had feared them for so long that it had scared him the first night he entered the valley after Peter had found him. Peter helped coax him though, and now he was able to visit with his lost companions in the evening once the sun had set and their spirits came up from the earth to roam again. Had it not been for the river spirit, Wade could not imagine where he would be other than wallowing in insanity and self hatred. 

They had formed a union the same night Peter had found him, and it gave a new meaning to the haunting memory of his failure. The river spirit roamed the forest now as well with Wade, and helped form springs to help bring fresh water to dry parts of the forest. When winter came, they would awake even in the cold months to see one another. It only happened a few times once the snow fell, but it was a heated reunion that made the forest flourish even while its roots were frozen. 

Wade had consumed Peter, and Peter nourished him in return. 

“I love you, Philtatos,” Peter hummed sleepily as his eyes slipped closed. The sun warmed their bodies as butterflies and dragonflies flew overhead in rays of colour. It was peaceful, it was home. 

Wade chuckled as he pressed a kiss to Peter’s soft hair. “I love you, most beloved.” 

 

ACT XI

 

In the field not far from the nymph and the river spirit, a small sapling emerged from the earth, and with it the birth of a Hamadryad. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Please tell me what you thought of it!  
> I am my own BETA so if there are any grammar mistakes it's due to my comma obsession.  
> ALSO fuck gender norms, Persephone is a man, Hephaestus is a girl, they're still goddess and god.


End file.
